Starling Physicians Vernon Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine

me and my siblings have been going to this practice since 2008 and have never had any bad experiences, it is sad to see so many bad reviews for a place where we have had nothing but good experiences both for regular visits as well as sick visits

Do NOT go here.

Two weeks ago we took my 1 year old daughter here because she had an ear infection.

My husband got spoken to with so much disrespect by a specific male nurse about vaccines. For the record, my daughter has some vaccines, but we're delaying others. When my husband asked which vaccines are legally required he said none, but they are required for school. To which my husband replied she's only 1 so we're not worried about that. My husband also asked for pamphlets and said he'd like to take time to research the vaccines. They told him that was fine but he needed to schedule an appointment ASAP and get her caught up on her vaccinations or she'll be dropped from the practice. When we were told this we immediately decided to switch pediatricians and never go here again.

Well, it's now 2 weeks later and I get a call from DCF that they're coming to the house within 48 hours because this pediatrician made a report for medical neglect. After telling us we are not legally required to get these vaccines, but they will no longer see us, they call DCF to report medical neglect.

If you want to feel like you have control or input into your child's healthcare, do NOT go here. They just saw our daughter in person two weeks ago so they're well aware she's growing well, and is healthy and happy except for an earache from a cold. The male nurse didn't appreciate my husband's attitude which was only because the nurse had been so condescending in the first place.

The office left a voicemail with us this morning at 8am asking to schedule our daughter's next appointment, and at 2:30 pm DCF is calling us saying a report was made. Since DCF rarely responds to reports that quickly, I'd wager this male nurse took it upon himself to report us and the office may not even be aware.

That said, the DCF investigator herself said she has other parents with issues with this place and she recommended two other great pediatricians in our area. Funny to think that this place is so happy to call DCF that DCF knows THEY are the problem.

FYI, for other parents who are interested... she recommended ProHealth Physicians in Vernon, and Manchester Pediatrics who has multiple offices.

I’ve had a deeply disappointing experience with Vernon Pediatrics / Starling Physicians.

My son has been a patient there since birth and is now 6 months old. As a younger sibling to a 1st grader, he has had a virus almost every other month. During these times he had fevers, vomiting, and other symptoms that excused him from being vaccinated and in turn, fell slightly behind on his vaccination schedule. After mutually agreeing with the office staff and doctors on a modified vaccination plan to get caught up, I was repeatedly harassed and lectured at nearly every visit. Instead of focusing on the CDC’s recommendations to NOT vaccinate while sick, particular doctors (Dr Washburn) and staff created an environment of judgment and intimidation, treating me like an “anti-vaxxer” and insinuating that my values didn’t align with their practice…I’m not sure what values these were as I am actively vaccinating my son. Sick visits turned into lectures about vaccinations and questions pertaining to my son’s sick visit were left unanswered on multiple occasions.

Most shockingly, after months of this treatment, the office discharged not only my 6 month old, but also my older child — who is fully vaccinated and in perfect standing — when asked why the office manager stated because “they are his sibling”. When I asked for the instructions on how to make a complaint to Starling Physicians, the office manager said her manager would reach out that day and still hasn’t days later. Their decision to discharge my older child was completely unethical and discriminatory. No child should be “guilty by association” or denied healthcare because of another siblings medical file. This pattern of behavior strongly suggests my family’s discharge was personally and possibly even politically motivated, due to their assumptions of my values and beliefs, and not medically justified.

I also want to add that as a new mother it’s very important to have an office that is on call at all times. I can’t even explain how many times I called the answering service in the middle of the night with important questions, for the call to never be returned. I had to go as far as calling my previous pediatricians on call in the middle of the night to get some guidance.

I will say all my visits with Erika the APRN were very pleasant as well as the medical assistant who I believe is Spanish, she is so friendly and kind. The lady who checks people out with the curly hair and big smile is also such a breath of fresh air and was really the initial reason why I gave them a chance despite the bad reviews.

Regardless, families deserve respectful, unbiased medical care from their physicians — not retaliation, discrimination, or judgment. For these reasons, I do not recommend Vernon Pediatrics to anyone who values professionalism, compassion, or ethical treatment.

I absolutely love vernon pediatrics. As a now 20 year old ive been coming here for years and I will be so sad when I have to switch to an adult doctor! All the doctors are very attentive and Jen at the back desk is wonderful

We scheduled a routine physical for our daughter, which should be fully covered by insurance with no co-pay. To our surprise, we received a $50 bill afterward. When we contacted the office, they claimed it was because the visit “lasted longer than expected.” At no point during the appointment were we told there was a time limit or that additional charges might apply. This was not transparent, and we feel misled. We hope the office reconsiders this billing practice and improves communication with patients about what is and isn’t billable.

If I could give zero stars I would. Steer clear of these offices!! We got booted for raising awareness of the 72 SHOT vaccine schedule for my little ones and when I told them I no longer was going to vaccinate they told me we will have to leave the practice then!!! Yea— no thanks. There is PLENTY of other pediatricians where you do have to go through this. They try to stick your babies starting at 6 months with COVID shots that are harmful!!! do you own research , you can’t trust these doctors!! They only try to vaccine so much because they get money in their pockets for every patient being 100% vaccinated!! GOODBYE!! 👋

Not sure where all the complaints are coming from. I wouldn't say this place is above and beyond but they are your average doctor's office. We have always been able to get in for same day appointments or talk to a nurse about a concern. My daughter's doctor has been good. She is always kind and professional. The lady at the desk is always kind so I was surprised to see people claim she was rude. My daughter is a really hard one to get for the vaccines but they do a great job trying to coach her and get her to relax. It isn't working so far but I appreciate their patience and effort. Maybe someday will be a drama free appointment! I wasn't so great myself when I was that age. I kicked my doctor in the ribs and knocked the wind out of him. Kids will be kids.

I did want to root out one repeated issue I see complained about in the reviews. Your childs healthcare records are stored electronically. Sign up for my chart and you have full access at no cost. If you are switching doctors the new doctor's office can and will request the records with tour permission. You don't have to call the previous office and demand records. They can and will charge a fee for having to print all the electronic records out. This isn't the 70's when the doctor office kept a physical folder on every patient that they could just hand over when you leave their practice.

My daughter just had a very unpleasant experience with the lady at the desk. The nurse stated that she would provide enough formula for 2-3 weeks so she could try it rather than my daughter having to buy different formulas just to test them out in order to see which one would be tolerated because my grandbaby was having issues with the present formula she was on (throwing up and rash all over her body). My daughter went to pick up the formula and the lady at the desk gave her formula that was expired. My daughter called to inform her of the expired formula and to see if they needed her to return it (she wasn’t sure what their policy was). The lady at the desk proceeded to tell my daughter that “It’s not their responsibility to feed her daughter and she should take responsibility to feed her own child!” Talk about rude!! My daughter is a new mom and her and her husband have no problems providing necessities for their child! What gives her the right to speak to my daughter like that??? Making assumptions about their financial capabilities and expectations?? Don’t be nice nasty!!!

My family has had multiple unpleasant experiences at Vernon Pediatrics due to one specific male employee, whose name we do not know. While the doctors and nurses are always kind and professional, this particular staff member has been impatient and does not treat babies gently. Several of my family members, including my sister-in-law, have had negative encounters with him.

Recently, my sister-in-law took her child for an appointment and experienced the same issues. Since she isn’t fluent in English, I called the office on her behalf to ask for the employee’s name so we could file a complaint with the Department of Public Health. The office refused, citing HIPAA (which does not apply in this case), and told me she would need to call instead. When she did, they didn’t answer.

It’s disappointing that a single staff member is creating such a negative experience at an otherwise good practice. I hope management takes action to ensure all patients, especially young children, are treated with the care and respect they deserve.

While I absolutely ADORE our doctor, that is where my love for this practice ends. There is no care, compassion or consideration. What they put me and my newborn through on our initial visit was traumatizing and contributed greatly to my ppd...which they could care less about. The woman drawing blood from my newborn had absolutely no idea what she was doing, to the point where she was sweating and crying and then let the blood clot so it had to be done over. I gave them another chance twice and they are not capable of doing the same for us. We are happy to finally be done but will miss Dr Lehman so much.